UCLA coach gets high marks in new job

LOS ANGELES -- – Daronte' Jones was hoping to make a good impression when he arrived at UCLA as a graduate assistant coach early this month.

He was almost successful.

Safety Rahim Moore said his initial impression of the new coach wasn't a favorable one, though it didn't take long for that to change.

"When I first met him, I thought he was a square," Moore said. "I thought he was a loser guy. When I first met him, I thought he was from Milwaukee or somewhere."

It wasn't Milwaukee. Jones came to UCLA after coaching for five seasons at Bowie State in Maryland. He was the Bulldogs' assistant head coach/defensive coordinator and led the Division II school to high marks on defense.

His current duties are to work with the cornerbacks and help the defensive coaches in game preparation.

"We had our first meeting and I knew he was the perfect guy for the job," Moore added. "He was just right."

He was also a lot different. Unlike Carnell Lake, who spoke softly and rarely showed emotion in his one season of coaching the UCLA secondary, Jones is the opposite. He runs to the pass defenders after every play, telling the player what went wrong or providing him with a verbal pat on the back.

He caught the attention of everyone watching practice earlier this week when he and sophomore cornerback Sheldon Price got entangled in a few seconds of high-fives, and slaps on the back and helmet. That was after Price prevented a would-be receiver from hauling in a touchdown pass.

"It's one of those things," Jones said. "As a player, you always want to know if you did a great job or how you were on that play. I just give suggestions, or I congratulate you. Either way, I make it an effort to say after every play, 'Hey, great job,' or 'Remember this.'

"It's always been a strategy of mine, and it's one where you can bond. You can bond when you're constantly interacting. You only get to spend so many hours of the week out there (on the practice field), so as much time as I can interact with those guys, I'm interacting with them."

The players have picked up on it and are bring more enthusiasm to the field. It's something cornerback Aaron Hester says will pay off in the fall.

"He has a lot of energy," Hester said. "He's running around, he's flying around and we're taking on his personality. You can't help but pick up your coach's personality because you're with him every single day."

INJURY UPDATE

Receiver Josh Smith has a partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and the medical staff is trying to determine if surgery will be needed to repair it. He will miss the rest of spring camp.

"It's the PCL, which normally isn't surgery," Coach Rick Neuheisel said. "It's just a rehab and a brace and it scars down and you're ready to go. We do have the luxury of time."

Redshirt sophomore Nik Abele (Irvine High) has a (neck) stinger and will also miss the rest of spring camp. More tests are scheduled for the offensive lineman.

Tight end Joe Fauria (groin muscle) returned to practice on a limited basis. Center Kai Maiava is still bothered by a sore right shoulder. Wide receiver Taylor Embree (concussion) returned to practice and seemed to be healthy, as evidenced by a diving touchdown catch near the end of Thursday's session.